Dates, and the other kind of dates
by myspiderwebsitar
Summary: In which Kevin Price and Sean McKinley find a new way to study. Debate AU.


**A/N:** So this is a short one-shot that exists in the Debate AU universe which means, you guessed correctly, this is a contingent of the high school AU. Mostly banter, honestly- I wrote this as an exercise in dialogue and conversation making. And I hope I don't bore you too much with the history speak.

Exists a few months after the last posted chapter of Contention 1 is Inherency.

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><p>"How do you even know our teachers are going to give the same test?" Kevin asked, one arm around his boyfriend, feet propped up against the coffee table, textbook spread over his and Sean McKinley's lap.<p>

"They are. I asked Mrs. LaRoche today after school. Just to check."

_Just so I could have an excuse to study with you, Kevin._

"Good. Well, what do we need to know for this test? The Civil War through industrialization? How much of that stuff do you know?"

"The North won."

"Very good."

"I can sing Battle Hymn of the Republic, if you want."

"No, thank you, but I'll pay you to sing a Confederate battle song."

"Cyberbullying."

"How is that cyberbullying?"

"Because you're going to post it on the internet and get me fired from any future job I may be considered for. Why would you want me to sing a Confederate song, anyway?"

Kevin shrugged. "My closeted, yet to be confronted racism, no doubt. Okay, so this is about 50 years of history. Where do you want to start?"

"At the top," Sean said. "A five-six-seven-eight!"

"What if I just start giving you dates and you have to tell me what happened?"

"Okay. Can I give you the dates, though?"

"Sure."

"Okay..."

"Do you want the textbook?" Kevin pushed the book, 12th edition, farther onto Sean's lap.

"No, I'll do it from memory. Okay, at the fondue restaurant."

"What?"

"I'm giving you dates. How about... when you taught me how to shoot a basketball?"

"Sean..."

"I'm giving you dates! The correct answers were, 1, you ate all of my chocolate covered strawberries, and 2, I almost beat you at free throws. That's what happened on those dates."

Kevin glanced down at Sean, who was nuzzling into his side, smiling innocently.

"You will fail this test tomorrow, and I am not going to help you do test corrections."

"You are going to end up sad and alone because you have no sense of romance, Kevin."

"Fine. I... you know what?"

"What?"

"You didn't come anywhere close to beating me at free throws. Not even close. I wiped the floor with you."

"In my head, I did."

"In your reality?"

"In my reality, I'm dating the captain of the basketball team and I did not even come close."

"I didn't miss a single basket. You got, like, 8 out of 20." Once Kevin gained an advantage over Sean, he was hard-pressed to give it up.

"Shut up, Kevin."

"I'm just saying."

"Yeah, well, am I supposed to feel bad about that? You play basketball and I don't. Of course Cal Ripken is going to be better at hitting a stupid sphere going 90 million miles per hour than the president of the United States."

"Are you saying you're Barack Obama?"

"Only that I'm more likely to be than you are."

"I bet Barack Obama never failed a history test."

"Oh my God, Kevin, have you read Dreams from My Father?"

"No."

"You should. It's a really good book. But he basically confesses to having been a terrible student who went to class high."

"It sounds like a good book."

"Have you ever done that?"

"Gone to class high?"

"Yeah."

"Of course not."

"I've never gotten high. I've gotten drunk." Sean's fingers traced the lines in Kevin's jeans.

"I've done both. And I was there when you got drunk, remember?"

"I've gotten drunk without you, actually."

"Bet it wasn't as much fun."

"Getting drunk is never fun. You know what else isn't fun?"

"What?"

"Taking care of your already drunk, moping boyfriend."

Kevin winced. "Don't remind me. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Kevin, I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because I made you take me to that party at Colin's house because I thought it would be fun."

"And I went off and got drunk and left you to take care of me. I shouldn't have done that to you."

"Don't worry about it. I wanted to go to a party, you took me, you started drinking, I didn't, both of us were miserable, and every Saturday night since then has been perfect."

"Getting drunk isn't as much fun as I used to think it was."

"Yeah."

"When did you get drunk without me?" Kevin wished he didn't care quite so much that he actually hadn't been Sean's first foray into the waters of rebellious teenage-dom, like Sean had led him to believe.

"The first time I kissed a boy. I told you that story, remember? I was at the LGBT youth community center Fourth of July party."

"Lame."

"It really was. He dumped me the next day."

"What an idiot."

"I know. I hate him."

"Me, too."

"You don't know him."

"That's true." Kevin reached over, ghosting his hands over Sean's arms. Sean twisted away, giggling.

"Stop tickling me, Kevin!"

"Sorry. You seemed sad over him!"

"I wasn't being sad. I was being pensive."

"An excellent distinction."

"It is."

"Ready to study now?" Kevin pressed his lips into Sean's hair.

"Ugh, fine."

"Before Nate comes in and wants the television and Marisol wants help with her Algebra 2 homework and Jack can't make his own snack."

"It is hard to be us, isn't it?"

"It sure is. With a full house all the time..."

"Having to be responsible for younger children..."

"Getting to be role models..."

"Always being interrupted..."

"Lots of company..."

"Having to refrain from kissing you as much as I want to..."

"People who adore us..."

"I love how you love it, Kevin," Sean said, stopping Kevin's reminiscing short.

"Love what?"

"Love how you handle things. It's not fair- your parents aren't home and they shoved a whole lot of responsibility onto your shoulders, making you your siblings' caretaker. But you love it. You love getting to look out for people. You love making sure they're okay."

"I love them."

"I love that you love them."

"Thank you, I think."

"I mean it. You are 100% more happy about unfair circumstances than anyone else I've ever met."

"Not all unfair circumstances. This one, this having to take care of my siblings, it isn't so bad."

"They're lucky to have you, anyway."

"And you."

"I guess. Anyway, you're right, let's keep going."

"Let's start, you mean," Kevin said, smiling.

"Start. Yeah."

"Okay. Umm... I guess, I'll just ask you questions at random? So, we're dealing with the 1860s through the turn of the century. Umm... describe the democracy reform of the progressive era."

"Oh, um, well, they instituted political primaries for candidates, right?"

"Mmhm, in 16 states."

"They passed the 19th amendment."

"What did that do?"

"Give women the right to vote," Sean said.

"Good. And?"

"And the seventeenth amendment, that was earlier. That elected senators through direct vote, instead of through state legislature."

"Good." Kevin picked up Sean's hand, entwining their fingers together.

"Thank you."

"Okay, in the Civil War, list some advantages the South had."

"They had a flag?"

"Advantages, Sean."

"Oh, um... they had... Southern aristocracy?"

"Not really."

"I don't know. They didn't win. Obviously their advantages weren't very good."

"Sean."

"Tell me?"

"King Cotton was one."

"I barely remember what that is. I think I fell asleep that day."

"It's that the South had the advantage of being a cotton exporter, which meant Europe relied on them for textiles, which meant they were likely to support the South."

"But they didn't."

"Nope."

"How am I going to remember that?"

"Umm... that's a good question- oh, I know! Can you remember King Cotton is the South wanting Europe to support their war efforts like how we were at the debate tournament one time and you got into a fight with Daniel, and I was watching, and he thought I would take his side because he knew I agreed with him? You guys were arguing about whether or not the framework on some K is legitimate, and obviously it's not, but I took your side anyway because it was the morally right thing to do. That's like King Cotton. I'm Europe, Daniel's the Confederates, and your crazy ass Ks are the Union Army. Cause they're so disorganized. Like the Union Army circa 1863."

Sean grinned. "I think I can remember that, yeah. And the only reason I didn't know that was because I fell asleep in class that day."

"Okay, fine. Your turn to quiz me."

"Hmm, okay- the Spanish American war."

"What about it?"

"What was it?"

"The US went to war with Spain over Spanish misrule in Cuba, and because a ship blew up, and the US blamed it on the Spanish but it wasn't their fault. Sort of like when you blamed me for the fact that you couldn't find your government notes because you thought I took them to sabotage you but actually you had already turned them in."

"Okay, US battleship exploding exactly like the time Sean politely asked Kevin if he had seen his notes. Got it."

"That's not what happened."

"Yes, it is."

"Whatever," Kevin said, even though if he had pressed it, Sean would have had to agree that he was right. "Your turn. Who were the muckrakers?"

"They were journalists who wrote about political corruption."

"Yep."

"Like when I wrote an article for the newspaper about how much money the basketball team got compared to the art club, but the art club needs more expensive equipment, anyway."

"Yes. Okay. You are a muckraker and I am a political machine. Happy now?"

"Minimally. Who was Upton Sinclair?"

"A socialist who wrote "The Jungle."

"Which is?"

"About the abuses of the meatpacking industry. Fingers in the meat and everything. We'll remember that by how-"

"How you complain about the lack of sanitary standards in any kitchen except for the one you cook in."

"Indeed. Actually- let's just- I like this."

"Me, too. It makes studying more fun. We should study like this from now on."

"We should. Who won the election of 1888, despite losing the popular vote?"

"Benjamin Harrison," Sean said, "Like how you're the captain of the debate team."

"What?"

"Despite not being the most popular member."

"Thank you for the sarcasm."

"Not sarcasm. Okay, reconstruction. How did the role of African-American women change?"

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><p>"Sean?"<p>

"Yeah?"

"Honestly, we have truly reached a new level of egotism."

"Really? Should we celebrate?"

"Sure. I'll pop the champagne."

"What did we do?"

"We made every significant American turning point from 1860 to 1910 about us."

"Well, that's a significant improvement, then."

**A/N: **Reviews, feedback always welcome!


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